Holding a Heart
by Guard24
Summary: I got a prompt for "After Killian gets his heart back, Emma keeps unconsciously placing her hand over his heart through out the day, like to check it's their. And after a week or two of that he asks her about it, insert fluffy feelsy mush" And that is exactly what this is.


__A/N: So these are just five really random scenes that you can take together or _separately. However, I wrote them to go together. I'm sorry it took me so long, I'm not the fastest writer. Shoutout to Sara, thesassywitchofthenortheast on Tumblr, for helping me and giving me support and ideas throughout this whole process. I hope this is kinda what you were looking for my wonderful little anonymous snowflake._

It was unconscious, how her hand would move from around his waist to his heart when they were lying on the couch. Sometimes, after getting ready for bed, she'd lay her head on his chest just to listen to it - and that's how she fell asleep. Other times it was more subtle, like when she put his jacket around him, how her hands lingered at his heart while she kissed the back of his shoulder.

"Ready for our 5th date?" Killian asked.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "What are we counting this time?"

"Well there's the snow monster, the ice wall, our dinner-

"was our first date." she interrupted, pointing with her finger.

"Aye. Maybe for you, Swan. But there's still when you gave me my heart back…and after…" Emma froze. "Which I greatly appreciate, in case you were wondering." he smirked and kissed her head.

She was slipping her heels on and extended her arm to balance on him. When it hit his shoulder it felt wrong and she immediately moved it over his heart, to awkwardly put the other shoe on. "Ready now." she said as she stood up straight and shifted her weight back to a balanced position.

"Shall we?" he asked, cherishing the warmth of her fingers interlaced with his.

"We shall."

Her lungs were burning and her screams were to no avail. It felt like hours had passed. "Killian!" She cried. Flames separated them when she tried to run towards him. Rumple turned and smiled at her, taking a knife and chopping off his only hand before crushing his heart.

Emma woke up convulsing and sweating, heart about to pound out of her chest, lights flickering as she scrambled to find her phone. "It's just a dream." She told herself repeatedly. He answered before she expected him to and she tried (unsuccessfully) to steady her breathing.

"Emma? What's wrong?" He was wide awake and the sound of his voice calmed her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…It's stupid."

He stayed quiet for a moment, waiting for her stubbornness to evaporate. "I couldn't sleep because you weren't here. Now what's wrong?"

* * *

She sighed. "I had a nightmare and Gold and you…He-"

"I'm on my way Emma."

She wanted to protest but she let it go because she desperately wanted - no needed - him there. When he arrived a few minutes later, she crashed into him, arms wrapped tightly around his back. She was crying again and _damnit-_

"It felt so real I thought you were dead." Emma placed her hand over his heart and felt it beating, reassuring her. After a few minutes, they migrated over to the couch and Emma once again buried her face into his shoulder, apologizing.

"Emma stop apologizing. It's okay." he said, rubbing the small of her back and gently kissing her head. "Now, go to sleep. I won't let go," Emma squeezed his hand tighter and listened to his heartbeat, which was the only thing that could coerce her into falling asleep.

And when she was long asleep, he let himself doze off under the warmth of her body. "I love you, Emma." he whispered.

Emma was about to call Killian to cancel their date when her mom said it. Oh! it can be a trial run! It's perfect! Your father and I can still go out, and you and Hook can see what married life is like. He's always with you anyway. Mom, no. Her reaction was more out of panic than anything else. Between Zelena, taking care of Henry most days, the ice wall, and Ingrid,Emma had barely had time to think about the present - only enough time to react - much less to think about any type of future. Thinking about the future meant letting go of the past, and even though Killian promised he was a survivor, she couldn't shake the fear. Not that it mattered anyway - she was undeniably in love with him now. She hadn't realized how much until he lost his heart. So rather reluctantly, she agreed to babysit and bring her "unofficial" deputy with her.

Snow had given her instructions and a list of times that the baby often would cry, along with a cd that helped to calm him. Emma let him cry for five minutes before giving into her own stubbornness and inserting the disc into the CD player.

"Hey baby brother," Emma spoke softly in a typical baby talk voice. "Do you wanna dance? Yeah, all princes need to know how to dance." He smiled and drooled onto her shirt. She moved him to her hip and began swaying and stepping, delicately moving his fragile hand up and down as she stepped. "One, two, three, one, two, three. There you go. You're a natural."

"Careful Swan, the lad can't walk yet." Killian said smiling. Emma jumped, startled at his sudden appearance.

"God, Killian. You scared me. How long have you been standing there?" Her attention was still focused on the baby as she spoke.

"Not long. Care if I join?" he smiled, walking forward and kissing her before she replied. Her hand brushed across his chest the moment he was close enough, but quickly returned to balancing the baby.

Hook wrapped his arm around Emma and swayed with the two of them. "I know this isn't what you had in mind for our date. I'm sorry." she said.

"No apologies needed, my love."

When Snow came home several hours later, the trio was sprawled out on the sofa, sleeping. Emma was holding her brother, with her arm reached out and touching Killian's heart, head rested on his shoulder. Emma's last thought before dozing off was that her mother was right. If one day, she started a family, she knew exactly who she wanted to do that with.

He noticed it every time. Everyone noticed it. He never said a word. David had asked him about it when Emma was preoccupied talking to Ruby at Granny's during lunch break. "Want me to show you how to lose to a king in darts?" David asked.

"I'd like to see you try, mate." Killian responded as they made their way to the other end of the diner. Killian reached into his pocket and obtained his flask. "Rum?" he offered. David took it and drank some before handing it back to Hook. "What's on your mind?"

"It's Emma. She's more…traumatized by you losing your heart than I've ever seen her. Is she okay? Are you okay? I'm just worried about her." Charming said.

"As am I." Killian replied.

"Have you said anything to her?" David inquired. By now they had reached the darts board and David began distributing the tiny arrows. He took the first shot.

"I don't know what to say. I don't want to push her. I've been trying to give her some space and let her tell me when she's ready, but…"

"It's been weeks since it happened."

"Aye, I know" He smiles in Emma's direction.

Emma sneaks up behind him, wrapping her arms around him; slipping her hand into his shirt and over his heart. "Hey there, Sailor." She laughs as he tosses the dart and completely misses the target.

"Damnit, Swan!" he pauses letting the last of the shock evaporate. Killian snickers. "That's bad form, love." Emma's hand lingers there, and Killian and David glance at each other knowingly barely nodding their heads. It's time to talk, Killian thinks..

She reached into the packaging and pulled out a damp cloth, applying it all over her face. As she was finishing, Killian came into the bathroom and sat on the ledge of the tub, silently watching the makeup vanish from her face. "What's up?" Emma asks. "You're drilling another hole in my head." Killian reaches over to scratch behind his ear, contemplating his next words. "Killian?" her voice is more concerned now and she goes to sit next to him.

"Are you alright, Swan?" And don't say you're fine because I know you're not."

Emma bites her lip and takes his hand, leading them out of the bathroom. She sits indian style across from him on the bed. She sighs. "No." she pauses "I almost lost you. I'm supposed to be the savior and I can't even protect the people I love. I love you, Killian. I've literally held your heart in my hand and it's everything that's right in the world. And I don't deserve that - I don't deserve you-"

"Emma-"

"No. No, let me finish." He shuts his mouth and lets his hands fall to his side, looking deeper into her eyes than she knew he could. It felt more like looking into her soul, a soul he shared and understood. He might have shed a tear but she was pretty sure she was on the brink of tears if she wasn't crying already. "You are the most selfless man I've ever known and I'm not…Hell, I didn't even realize I loved you until losing you! You've always known with me. You've always treated me like a princess." she reaches over and holds her hand against his heart, counting how many times it beats until she can feel it twelve times. "I can't lose you and I want to protect you. If it's bothering you-"

He cut her off with a kiss, tongue tracing the outline of her mouth for a moment before pulling away. "I love you too. God, I love you so much. And you deserve all the riches in the world, much more than anything a bloody pirate could give you. I promise I will prove that to you as long as you allow me to. We're a team, Swan. Sometimes you are going to need protection and sometimes I will. No matter who's in danger I will never stop fighting to be by your side. Besides I'm a survivor; you needn't worry about me."

"You almost didn't survive!" she protested. "Damnit Killian! You were on your knees, execution style! I've never seen you in that much pain before, so close to death and you have the nerve to brush it off by saying that you're a survivor? This isn't a game! All I've done is worry myself sick about you since it happened and you think that makes it okay? It's my fault! How do you not see that? I wasn't spending time with you like I should have. I didn't even know your heart was gone!" She was yelling and crying, frantically brushing her tears away. "I can't protect you anymore. In fact, you being with me makes you a target. You were targeted because I'm the fucking savior and there's nothing I can do about it." she lowered her voice to a normal volume and wrapped both hands in his..

"Because you love me. Because I love you."

"If there's anything I've learned from your family, it's that love is not a weakness. It's a strength. The crocodile lost because he believed it was a weakness. Regina's curse fell through because of true love. You, your father, Henry, are all alive because of true love. Because love is a strength that magic cannot break. That is why we will be okay. As long as you want me, I'm here and we will be okay. Love prevails and darkness cannot hide it. My heart is a symbol of my love, and you've had it long before you held it. You'll have my heart til the end of time, Emma Swan."

She smiles. "That was really cheesy." she says, before kissing him and embracing his outstretched arms that had pulled her in. 'Thank you." Emma whispers.


End file.
